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โพลิส

File:Attica_06-13_Athens_50_View_from_Philopappos_-_Acropolis_Hill.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Polis (: poleis) means 'city' in Ancient Greek. The ancient word polis had socio-political connotations not possessed by modern usage. For example, Modern Greek πόλη (póli), "city", is located within a (chóra), "country", which is a πατρίδα (patrída) or "native land" for its citizens. In ancient Greece, the polis was the native land; there was no other. It had a constitution and demanded the supreme loyalty of its citizens. Χώρα was only the countryside, not a country. Ancient Greece was not a sovereign country; rather, it was territory occupied by Hellenes, people who claimed as their native

AI overview

A polis was an ancient Greek city-state that functioned as its citizens' entire native land, complete with its own constitution and demanding their supreme loyalty—quite different from a modern city, which exists within a larger country. This distinction matters because it shows that ancient Greece was actually a collection of independent city-states rather than a unified nation, fundamentally shaping how Greek society, politics, and identity worked.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Key facts

Settlement.image_caption
Acropolis of Athens, a noted polis of Classical Greece. The polis was the whole city, which had its own walls. Shown is a part of the polis, the akropolis, "city heights", which was never alone regarded as its own city. The origins of the settlement are lost in prehistoric times. Also included in the classical Athenian polis were suburban locations in the region of Attica, such as the port, Piraeus.
Settlement.etymology
"walls"
Settlement.government_type
Republic, or commonwealth. The ultimate authority was considered to reside in the citizenry, the demos, despite the broad variation in the form of the administration.
Settlement.governing_body
The assembly, or ekklesia, although in the more autocratic forms of administration, it met rarely. Magistrates performed the day-to-day governing, called archons.
Settlement.unit_pref
Metric
Settlement.area_blank1_title
max area of 60% of poleis
Settlement.area_blank1_km2
100
Settlement.area_blank2_title
max area of 80% of poleis
Settlement.area_blank2_km2
200
Settlement.population_as_of
400 BC
Settlement.population_total
7500000+
Settlement.population_density_km2
auto
Settlement.population_demonym
Dēmos in the Attic-Ionic dialects or dãmos in the Doric. The demonym was formed by producing the name of a people from the name of the polis. For example, the polis of Athens was named Athenai after the goddess Athena; hence the demos was the Athenaioi, "the Athenians".
Settlement.name
Polis
Settlement.native_name_lang
gr
Settlement.settlement_type
Constitutional microstate
Settlement.image_skyline
Attica 06-13 Athens 50 View from Philopappos - Acropolis Hill.jpg

via Wikipedia infobox

Wikidata facts

Has part
Khôra
Show 3 more facts
partially coincident with
city-state
different from
emporium
Sources (2)

via Wikidata · CC0

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